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Category Archives: hubby
The words to an old favorite, 10,000 Maniacs- These Are Days, have been bouncing around my head and heart lately…
These are days you’ll remember,
never before and never since, I promise,
will the whole world be as warm as this, and as you feel it,
you will know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky,
it’s true that you are touched by something,
that will grow and bloom in you.
These are days you’ll remember,
when May is rushing over you with desire,
to be part of the miracles you see in every hour,
you will know it’s true that you are blessed and lucky,
it’s true that you are touched by something,
that will grow and bloom in you.
These are days you might fill with laughter until you break,
these days you might feel a shaft of light make it’s way across your face,
when you do you’ll know how it was meant to be,
see the signs and know their meaning,
it’s true, you’ll know how it was meant to be,
hear the signs and know their speaking to you, to you.
Yes, 80′s alternative. Natalie Merchant. Anyone else with me?
This one is a classic in my book.
And the words…truly…these are days. Our days.
And lately they have been filled with….
more energy to do the things we love,
with wonder and play,
with a birthday celebration,
a bit of spelling practice (and longing for cousins who live far away),
extra hugs and kisses for a boy who spent his first week away from home (and made it home safe and sound),
with imagination,
rest,
more high temperatures,
and even higher hopes.
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I’ll be back soon with a garden update. Our summer friend okra is about the only one still going strong out there, but plans for fall are starting to unfold and planting season is almost upon us!
Posted in adventures in gardening, days of summer, fall garden, hubby, my babies
Tags: amelia, asher, baking bread, birthday, daddy, fall garden, garden, knitting, my babies, summer, summer days, summer fun, these are days
It’s a perfect way to describe this past week. The beautiful pause between summer and spring, full of flowers, weddings, sweet, ripe produce and blessed days outdoors.
gorgeous cherries- a taste of summer
This past week was (besides the haircut fiasco) pretty uneventful. While poor Daddy worked long and hard this week, we spent our time cleaning house and soaking up some vitamin D in the back yard.
four year old organization
napping in swimsuits
Summer is so close, we can taste it.
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:: Daddy and I escaped for a little Friday night day for a wedding rehearsal dinner. Next Friday we celebrate five years since our wedding day.
Have I ever mentioned how much I love this guy?
:: Although the garden isn’t exactly what I dreamed this spring, a lot of good things have been coming out of it.
Lessons learned, for one. My little gardener is learning a lesson in persistence. Each day we are out there fighting off the growing population of pesky bugs who are feasting on our lettuces, broccoli and tomatoes.
And delicious food. While I’m always hoping to grow more and better, the nutritious food we pluck from the garden never ceases to amaze us.
We made eggplant parmesan tonight, with just-picked eggplant, fresh herb infused tomato sauce and a fresh herb breadcrumb crust.
my perfectly imperfect tomatoes
How many times have I said “fresh” and “delicious”?
Seriously.
Eggplant parmesan with italian broccoli, fresh baked bread and a good bottle of pinot noir
I spent most of the afternoon plucking goods from the garden, blending up fresh herbed breadcrumbs, blanching and peeling tomatoes and baking bread. It felt so good. Mr. B turned my tomato puree into the best batch of sauce I’ve ever tasted in my life. Nothing beats an afternoon cooking with my sweetie.
:: I’ve finally come to terms with the haircut. Actually, I’ve warmed up to Miss Peep’s new do quite a bit. It’s sassy, cute and it leaves exposed a most favorite sweet spot that I have long enjoyed smooching on my first baby…
The nape of a sweet little neck. I can never resist.
:: We’ve had a few first blooms outside.
hello sunflower
first ranunculus bloom
We also have this mystery weed that we just can’t identify. I am dying of curiosity, what in the world is it?? It looks like thyme to me, but searches in google and in numerous field guides have given us no answers. Does anyone out there know what our mystery weed is?
:: This week was exactly what we needed to recover from all of the previously busy days spent away from home. Restful, relaxing, doing our thing at home.
A long quiet week at home followed by a fun weekend wedding was the perfect combination this week.
And the long weekend was a plus. Today I am thinking about all of our friends who have not returned home to their families. Will you please pray for Matt Ferrara and his family? It’s been almost four years since his life was lost in Afghanistan and I’m sure his family still misses him every day. I’m so thankful for every soldier who takes the risk to protect us, especially my own.
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Here is to another good week! Blessings to you and yours
~B
Posted in adventures in cooking, adventures in gardening, cooking garden bounty, days of spring, hubby, lovebites, my babies, spring garden
Tags: almost summer, amelia, asher, basil, blooms, date night, eggplant, eggplant parmesan, garden, gardening, spring garden, sweet spots, tomato
Ah home.
Don’t you love the feeling of being home- especially after days or weeks of busyness, craziness/and or being out of town?
Asher asked me the other day, while we were making the drive from the Ballarta residence in Pflugerville to downtown Austin for Kyle’s graduation ceremony, “Mama, are we ever going to go home and sleep in our very own house again?”. He was having a blast visiting, but like his mama, the guy just starts to miss his own bed after a few nights…
So that’s how I’m feeling right now, loving the fact that we are home, but it’s also mixed with a rainbow of emotions that are leftover from wonderful time spent and events celebrated with family and friends, from in and out of town.
Plus, right now I’m completely overwhelmed by the post-hurricane state of mess that our house is in. Cause that’s what happens when you have virtually no recovery time between fun events and visits and now the piles of clean and dirty laundry and toys that are strewn throughout are pretty much ridiculous. There is so much to be cleaned and all I want to do is wander around the garden sipping coffee and watch my happy babes run through the green grass in naked childhood bliss.
Clean-up will come along with a string of quiet days spent at home. *happy sigh*
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Lovebites from the week….
:: The Casey’s have gone back to Washington and we already miss them so much (and are bummed that we never got to see Uncle Brian).
:: Uncle Kyle completed his MBA and we spent the weekend with family celebrating. It was crazy, busy and so much fun.
This little guy always knows what will make everyone laugh. When his antics are especially cute, it’s like I have this whole mamarazzi crew snapping photos of him. Sometimes I can hardly catch a photo of myself.
I love that my babies are so loved.
cheesy brother pose
Still enjoying beautiful Texas spring days. Warm enough, but not too hot yet.
Play at Lolo and Lola’s house always involves some sort of old tactical training gear. Asher refers to the flesh-colored dummy as the “mad guy”. He always comes out to play in the front yard with sidewalk chalk…
punk brother
they spray each other in the face with water hoses now, but someday when they are grown they will have this
:: In between the chaos of nights spent in Georgetown saying goodbye to the cousins and graduation weekend extravaganza in Austin, I escaped for a quiet hour on my own to collect my thoughts, energy and inspiration while wandering through the little antique market just down the road.
While usually the solace and inspiration- priceless things this little place gifts me with- are the main things I am seeking when I visit, I usually find a few material treasures to bring home as well. This visit scored me two vintage suitcases and a small stack of fabric.
I really wanted to bring this little teapot home but I refrained. If I spot him again on another visit I doubt I’ll have the strength to say no to him twice.
It’s hard for me to ask for a break sometimes, but if I never ask I injure not only myself but the entire team I am playing for.
They deserve my best. And to be my best, sometimes I need a moment alone to recharge.
I am so blessed I have a fellow team captain that totally gets this.
giving a little speech at his brother’s graduation party
:: We also got to see a few old Army friends this past week, they feel pretty much like family and it was so good to see them. One of them was in Dallas for work and came down at the last minute for a quick weekend surprise visit. The other, our dear “Uncle Holtie” (Amelia’s godfather), was back for his mid-tour leave and he and his sweet fiance came down for a few day getaway for some alone time and quick visit with us.
Nick, looking unaffected
Rachel and Kevin. Tying the knot in December as soon as he is home from Afghanistan!
cheesy pose- classic awkward family photo blog submission
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There are so many definitions of home, because home really isn’t about a place. It’s about who your with.
Mom and Dad’s in Georgetown. Late hours spent laughing in an old English pub downtown. Sitting on the roof of Whole Foods with with old friends, catching up. A house in Pflugerville that holds four generations of family members and many of my husband’s youthful memories. A cluttered little house in Killeen.
Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros sum it up well for me right now…
“Ah home,
let me come home,
home is whenever I’m with you.
Ah, home,
I’m comin home,
home is when I’m alone with you.”
It feels good right now to be home.
tired mama and daddy, ready to be home
Posted in days of spring, hubby, lovebites
Tags: army friends, extended family, family party, grandparents, great grandparents, home, kevin and rachel, kyle graduation, nick, pflugerville
I’m in a bit of a funk as of late.
This funk seems to hit me every year around the same time- as winter is coming to and end and spring is just around the corner. She has been peeking around that corner shyly these past few weeks, teasing us with moments when the sun kisses bare skin warm and with little bits of green peeking out of small, hidden places, but catching my eye none the less.
This time usually yields a lot of productivity in the house (as well as in the soul). Closet cleaning, clothing and toys selected for donation, re-thinking our systems and making them more effective, dusting and scrubbing in forgotten corners and crevices (of house and heart). Activity that is very fitting for the Lenten season that we are about to enter….
I also get restless and do things like cut bangs in my hair (except this year I saved my $60 and did it myself), dream + plan the spring garden and try my hand at new trades, just for fun.
Like embroidery.
my first attempt at cross-stitching. the first little heart was rough, but things went uphill for the next three.
Or needle felting.
There has also been lots of the regular types of crafts that are ongoing in our home. Knitting projects and the usual variety of kid coloring and painting (although we have been mixing it up with stickers and negative spaces in the canvas). Asher has been helping Mama plan the garden and he has decided that he wants to plant “a tiny orange tree”. We could totally do a small citrus tree in a huge pot on the porch. And now, it’s in the plans…
he drew it right there into the plans. i have a feeling mama might get jealous and want a lemon and lime tree too.
i love it when that tongue slips out in concentration.
And while we have big plans to get the garden ready for planting in, we have to see the remainder of these chilly, wet days out. There aren’t many left…
watching the rain
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And these photos are completely unrelated to the season, but I snapped them the other night and I love them.
Daddy reading to his babies…
Hope everyone out there is still staying warm and enjoying the last cozy winter days before spring!
Posted in adventures in crafting, crafting with kids, days of winter, hubby, lent, living the liturgical year, my babies, we are catholic
Tags: crafting, crafts with kids, cross stitch, daddy, embroidery, garden planning, gnomes, needle felting, rainy days, reading, spring garden plans, waiting for spring
“Love prides itself not only
in the one who loves,
but also in the beloved.”
-Kahlil Gibran, Prophecies of Love
I am so thankful for my valentine today. And the two little valentines we are raising together.
I hope you are touched by love, not only today, but every day.
Happy Valentines Day!
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Happy Valentines day Ballarta family <3
by mamabrit
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